


Brazen

by lady_needless_litany



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Blackmail, Dark Side Rey, Don't copy to another site, F/F, Fade to Black, Manipulation, Possibly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21570952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_needless_litany/pseuds/lady_needless_litany
Summary: With Snoke dead and the New Republic in ruins, the remnants of the Resistance are the only thing between the First Order and victory. There's one woman that holds the final piece of the puzzle - the location of Leia Organa and her surviving supporters. The Supreme Leader dispatches Rey to find her, but Crimson Dawn's veteran leader is more than a match for the young Force user…
Relationships: Qi'ra/Rey (Star Wars)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	Brazen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lucymonster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucymonster/gifts).



> Prompt: "Dark!Rey took Kylo's offer and joined the First Order. She meets Qi'ra through their shared darkside allegiance."

The entire ship shuddered as it dropped out of hyperspace. It startled Rey into focus, calling her attention back to piloting the shuttle. 

She peered out through the front windows, at the planet that loomed over her. Kuat, she imagined, had been a beautiful planet once. Now, it was encircled by an orbital ring of shipyards, which was worsened by a swarm of ships and patches of industrial waste. As she navigated towards a quieter stretch of the shipyards, she found herself dismayed at its greyness, especially in contrast with the verdant planet beyond it.

The purpose for her presence compounded her mood. She had a sneaking suspicion that someone, probably Hux, was setting her up to fail; there were people far more qualified that her to handle the deal and she knew it. The First Order's pre-eminent intelligence expert had warned her, with an expression of deep perturbation, that her target was notoriously difficult—and, to raise the stakes, one of the only people in the galaxy that was both able and willing to provide some much-needed intel.

It would’ve been a challenge at the best of times, let alone when it was her first ‘mission’ for the First Order. Most of the Order didn’t trust her—and she didn’t blame them—which made success all the more critical. Kylo’s position was still precarious; there was no guarantee that he could, or would, protect her if she didn’t prove herself to them. The excursion felt disturbingly like being let out of a cage and she was determined not to go back into it. She couldn’t afford to fail.

_ Qi'ra  _ was the name she'd been given. She was an elusive figure, by all accounts; really, the only concrete information they had was that she was the sole leader of Crimson Dawn, an intergalactic crime syndicate with eyes and ears everywhere that mattered.

When Rey docked with the ring, it was Crimson Dawn's symbol that was plastered on the side of the airlock, making no attempt to hide. That, in itself, was a warning. She checked and double-checked that she had her blaster to hand, and her lightsaber secreted under a layer of clothing, before she made her way into the main structure.

She found herself in a long, plain corridor that curved out of sight; she wavered for a moment, unsure of where to go, until someone appeared from a door that she hadn't noticed.

Immediately, she pivoted, defensive, but the woman made a calming gesture. She walked the last few steps at a stately pace, coming to stand an arm’s length away from Rey.

"I'm Margo," the woman said. She was Imroosian, tall and chalky, with striking eyes and a heavy pendant bearing the mark of Crimson Dawn around her neck. "Please follow me."

Rey had the wisdom not to quibble. Margo led her some way up the corridor and into a small anteroom. Apart from a modest sideboard and a door on the opposite wall, it was unfurnished.

"Please leave your weapons here," she said, pointing to the table.

Reluctantly, Rey complied, surrendering her blaster. She didn’t know what she was walking into; better not to start off on the wrong foot. Her newly-red lightsaber, though, remained carefully stowed within her jacket.

Once Margo was satisfied, she pressed one hand to the door, which slid open.

The pair of them moved forward, into the room beyond, and were met by a woman rising from a sofa. She appeared to be unarmed, but even so, she was, immediately and without doubt, one of the most intimidating people Rey had ever met. Even here, on Kuat, she was well-dressed and immaculately coiffed; her navy-blue dress was high-necked and fell to mid-calf, perfectly tailored. Her face was equally manicured, her make-up just so, her expression almost blank, like that of a sabacc player.

"You must be Rey." Her voice was unexpectedly soft, lacking the harshness suggested by the hard line of her mouth. Still, there was no doubting the steel that lay beneath it.

"That's right." Rey stuck her hand out, realising too late that it didn't feel like something a powerful Force-user would do. Qi'ra, however, reciprocated, shaking her hand fleetingly.

Settling on one side of the table, Qi'ra indicated that Rey should sit opposite. She obliged, feeling every inch of the other woman's scrutinising gaze.

Margo retreated from the room, leaving them alone. In the heavy quiet left behind, Qi'ra cut to the chase. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here on behalf of the First Order," she said. It had an air of recitation to it; she doubted her negotiation skills, so she'd practiced, alone, in the cockpit of her shuttle. "We need intelligence. About the Resistance."

The other woman ignored her, choosing instead to study her carefully. "Where are you from?"

For a second, the sudden swerve into personal matters threw Rey. "Jakku."

"Jakku," Qi'ra echoed, nodding thoughtfully. "I grew up on Corellia. It's not so different to this planet." She gestured disdainfully out of the window. "It was a hard upbringing—like yours, I suppose?"

Rey swallowed. "I - uh. Yes. I was a scavenger."

"Hm. And how does a scavenger from Jakku end up as the Supreme Leader's right hand?"

She hesitated. "It's a long story."

There was no way that she could trust Qi'ra, nor was that the purpose of her visit; still, something within her made a compelling case for spilling every detail. 

"Do you know where the Resistance are?" she asked, attempting to steer the conversation back towards her mission.

"The Resistance was destroyed on Crait," she answered, a sly curl to her lip. "According to the holos endorsed by the First Order."

"Some of them escaped."

"Well, that's unfortunate."

"It is." Rey gritted her teeth. Qi'ra's face was still neutral, almost impassive. "I'm told you might know where they're hiding."

"If I did, that would be valuable information," she mused. "Some people would charge you a fortune for it."

She was pushing her now. Deliberately. "The First Order can afford it."

"I'm sure."

Her placid answers, somehow, sparked Rey's temper more than an outright rejection would have.

"You know. You know where they're hiding." It was more a statement than a question.

"Of course."

"Tell me," Rey demanded, injecting a hint of Force-compulsion into her words. "Where are they?"

She smiled harshly, baring her teeth. "Your mind tricks won't work on me."

It didn't make sense. Rey had never failed to overwhelm someone who was Force-null. "How?"

"I've been around a lot longer than you." Qi'ra leant forward, looking her straight in the eye. "I've been threatened by things a lot bigger and a lot more dangerous than you or the First Order. I've even been threatened by people with weapons a lot like yours."

Rey's brain scrambled to keep up: she'd surrendered her blaster, but it was just a blaster. Nothing special. Which meant that Qi'ra had to be talking about the lightsaber hanging at her waist, well within the confines of the jacket she was wearing. So she was observant, far more so than Rey had initially realised, and she'd known Force-users before. Maybe even darkside ones, from what she had insinuated.

Or she was lying.

Either way, she continued. "You're not going to intimidate me. If you want my help, you're going to have to make it worth my while."

"Right." Rey's eyes narrowed. "And how do I make it worth your while?"

"What are you offering?" Qi'ra parried, unwilling to lay her cards on the table.

Rey didn't have the patience, skill, nor inclination for mind-games. She raised her chin, challenging. "What do you want?"

She jutted her chin out, brazen. "It's been awhile since I had someone so fiery in my bed."

It was stated out-loud, matter-of-fact—in black and white, as it were. Rey wasn't sure if that made it better or worse. She certainly wasn't sure how she'd lost her proverbial footing so quickly.

It hardly mattered. Before she could do more than open her mouth, Qi'ra cut her off. "If you want to know…" she pressed.

Rey's cheeks flamed—she wasn't used to being wanted like that. Nor was she accustomed to being used as a bargaining chip. But, she told herself, pride didn't buy information.

Besides—there was something strangely tempting about it, even if she would never admit that to herself.

Thus, instead of protesting, she said, "I - uh - I'm not very experienced."

The beginnings of a smirk were forming on her face. "I figured."

A final hesitation. "If that's what you want-"

"It is."

"It's a deal."

"I figure," she repeated, eyes gliding over Rey's body, starting at her hair and working her way down to her feet. She stood, gesturing towards the door. "Now. If you'll follow me."

* * *

She made it back to the First Order, head held high, far more quickly than anyone had expected.

She was received in the hangar by a clutch of ’troopers and officers, General Hux foremost amongst them; the constant attention was something she was still adjusting to, though she’d be lying if she pretended not to revel in it.

"I take it your mission was successful?" Hux asked, insipid as ever.

Rey strode ahead, answering shortly, "We came to an agreement."


End file.
